Break It
by YupSureDid
Summary: Jesse broke Rachel's heart during Funk. This is yet another version of the aftermath. It's my first fluff attempt for Glee. /Cherry/


**Author's Note**: I don't own anything except the plot to this story. It's a fluffy, odd little one shot. 

**Break It**

Rachel Berry descended the staircase in the West wing of McKinley High School. She tugged her phone out of her pocket as a familiar ringing reached her ears. Seeing her ex-boyfriends name appearing on the screen, she couldn't help but let a smile pull at her lips. It had been humiliating to discover, in front of everyone, that he had gone back to Vocal Adrenaline. She hadn't been surprised, she knew it was coming, but she had thought he would at least have the decency to tell her to her face. She thought she deserved that much, but apparently Jesse St James did not agree. After hearing him ask to meet her in the parking lot, Rachel could barely keep the skip out of her step. Maybe, just maybe, they could work this out. They could be enemies and lovers. It happened all the time, at least in the best romance novels.

She exited the school and stepped out into the sun, blinking at the sudden brightness. Her eyes searched the parking lot, and eventually landed on Jesse. She couldn't help but give in to the romantic inside of her as she began to run to him, her arms outstretched. She could feel her hair flowing out behind her and looked at the joy on Jesse's face mirroring her own. A second later the smile slid off his face, replaced by a look of indifference. She began to slow her pace at the change in his expression and then stopped short as she felt the first egg smash into the back of her hair. She looked around her in horror as more members of Vocal Adrenaline crept out from their hiding places. She was able to protect her face from the onslaught of eggs hurled at her, and when she felt no more she lowered her hands from her face.

"Do it Jesse. Are you with us or not?" Jesse's sidekick said. Rachel watched in horror as he chose his side and took a step toward her, and then another. When he finally reached her, Rachel squared her shoulders and tried to gather all of her strength. None of the bullying she had dealt with growing up compared to this. Those kids didn't know her. She was just another nameless face to throw slushies at to them. But Jesse...he had touched her. Kissed her. He knew her deepest secrets and desires. He knew this would completely shatter the heart that he had already filled with cracks. But he was going to do it anyway. So she raised her eyes to meet his, before he could make a move. She would not be his victim.

"Do it. Break it like you broke my heart." She was grateful her voiced stayed steady. Strong.

"I loved you," he said, before cracking the egg against her forehead.

She heard the giggles and gasps from the various members of Vocal Adrenaline but did not allow her lip to quiver until the SUVs were backing out of their spaces in the parking lot. She turned on her heel and rushed back into McKinley High, blinking her eyes rapidly to try and keep her tears at bay. As she rounded the corner that would lead her to the closest bathroom, she abruptly came to a halt as she found herself face to face with Matt and Mike. They both looked at her, wide eyed and shocked at her appearance. A slushie attack wouldn't cause them to bat an eye but this, this was different. She turned away from them and bolted in the other direction, ignoring their calls to come back.

Puck and Finn walked up behind the two dancers, concern etched on their faces.

"Dude, was that Berry?" Puck asked.

"Someone egged her, man," Mike told the boys. "We need to find her, let's split up. If you see anyone else from Glee, tell them to be on the lookout."

The boys all nodded in agreement and quickly took off in different directions. Mike originally planned on heading to the auditorium, but he thought that in this case, it would be too easy. Rachel had looked completely devastated, this wasn't an average bully attack. This had been personal. He paused in the hallway as the bell rang and students began to file out of their classrooms. Rachel obviously would have realized the hallways would flood with students soon, so she would have needed shelter somewhere quickly. He let his eyes roam up and down the hallway until they landed on the door to the old girl's locker rooms. The school stopped using them after Coach Sylvester demanded individual shower stalls for her Cheerios, as opposed to the way the old locker rooms were set up, with many shower heads coming out of a central shower station. Mike shuddered at the thought of students from prior years having to shower in front of each other. It was definitely the ONLY kind thing Coach Sylvester had ever done for the school as a whole, even if she hadn't meant to. As the hallway slowly emptied, Mike crept closer to the girl's door and tried to lean casually against the wall. When he felt that the coast was clear, he quickly slipped into the locker room undetected. He immediately heard the sounds of sniffling, and he did a quick little victory dance for being the one to find Rachel. He crept slowly down the small corridor until the lockers came into view. He searched the rows, and headed back towards the showers where the sniffles were slowly being replaced by sobs. Suddenly Rachel came into view. She was kneeling on the tiled floor, frantically combing her fingers through her hair and pulling out chunks of egg shell. Her fingers came to a sudden halt as she reached a particularly egg-soaked section of hair and she burst into tears all over again. Mike felt his heart clench at the sight.

"Rach," he called softly.

Rachel immediately turned away from the voice, and pulled the hem of her sweater up to her face, trying to wipe off the egg and tears and mascara. She sniffled a few times and tried to quickly pull herself together.

"Michael, hello. What are you doing in the girl's locker room?" She avoided his eyes as she pushed herself up off of the floor and nervously attempted to make herself presentable. Her hands flitted from her hair, to her face, to her sweater and back again.

"I was looking for you. We all are, actually. I'm just super awesome at thinking like a spy!" He exclaimed happily, momentarily forgetting Rachel's predicament. He was really proud of himself for thinking like a spy.

"What makes you think I needed to be found? I get covered in random liquids all the time, I'm fine," Rachel tried to convince Mike. He walked over to where she was standing and reached out, taking her hand in his.

"Who did this, Rachel? I know it wasn't Karfosky or Azimio. They would never have affected you like this. Who was it?" He asked her, his voice quiet in the empty room.

Rachel finally met his eyes, and felt hers fill with tears. Saying it out loud would confirm it. Jesse truly did this to her. She lowered herself onto one of the benches and her shoulders fell forward. "It was some kids from Vocal Adrenaline. Jesse was with them," she admitted. She felt Mike's hand tense over hers, and she looked away as her chin began to tremble.

"Oh, Rach," he said softly. Instead of going on a tirade about what a jerk Jesse was, Mike did the one thing that Rachel truly needed. He sat and pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. When he felt her shoulders begin to shake he started rubbing soft circles on her back.

"What have I done to deserve this? What is so wrong with me that this is all I get? Why is this my life?" She finished her small tirade pitifully. Mike's hand stilled on her back.

"Rachel, you're so beautiful. He never deserved you anyway and he knows it, that's why he took the cowards way out." He felt Rachel's tears come to an abrupt stop as she pulled away from his slightly, still in his arms but able to look at his face.

"You think I'm beautiful?" She asked, hesitantly. Mike burst into laughter and Rachel's face fell. She pulled herself out of his embrace and rose to her feet. He quickly realized the change in her demeanor and grabbed onto her hand before she could flee. When she saw that he had instantly become serious, she looked into his eyes and waited. He stood up and faced her, his face softening in affection.

"I'm sorry. I just couldn't believe you actually asked me that. Don't you look into the mirror and see the gorgeous girl everyone else does? The long hair, the shining eyes, the brilliant smile. It's absurd that you could even ask me that. You should _know_ how beautiful you are. Honestly, why do you think the Cheerios pick on you? Because they can't compete with your looks and talent. Why do you think the jocks picked on you? Because they knew they could never have you. In all of these years, no one ever told you that? Why do you think I never had a conversation with you before today? Because..." he smiled sheepishly and looked just over her head, refusing to meet her eyes. "I'm in awe of you, Rachel. And I figured someone like you would never care about anything I had to say, you know? You're this one in a million, shining star that is better than every person in this whole state, let alone how you compare to a mediocre dancer who hangs in the background of Glee."

"Mediocre? Now _that_ deserves a laugh or two. You're the only reason Glee's choreography is as wonderful as it is," Rachel said warmly. "And just so you know, I always cared about what you had to say. And what you had to say today?" Rachel paused for a moment to figure out the best way to express her thoughts. An awkward silence filled the air as Mike began to feel nervous, afraid he had overstepped a boundary or perhaps misread Rachel's actions early.

"I don't think I have the words to express how your words have made me feel today, Mike. But I think I have an action in mind that could show you," she finished shyly. She grabbed both of his hands in hers and pulled him to her until they were chest to chest. She reached up on her tiptoes and hesitantly placed her lips against his. It only took a second for the initial shock and giddiness to pass, and then Mike was wrapping his arms around her waist, keeping her high up on her toes. She wrapped her arms around his neck as the kiss was deepened. She was dimly aware of the sound of a door opening and the squeak of sneakers on the linoleum floors but she quickly forgot about it when Mike pulled her lower lip between his teeth. Once the catcalls began, however, she and Mike reluctantly pulled apart and faced the kids of Glee with flushed faces. He released his grip on her waist and she lowered herself back down to the heels of her feet.

Puck smirked as he crossed his arms and leaned against a locker.

"We see you've found Berry, eh Chang?" Rachel's heart soared as Mike took her hand and smirked himself at the goodhearted teasing of their teammate.

"He found me alright. Although, for the life of me, I can't remember why I was upset to begin with," Rachel said, smiling.

"Oh, I know! It's probably because someone egged you, Rachel!" Brittany called out helpfully.

Everyone, Rachel and Mike especially, began to laugh.

**Author's Note 2**: Not my best work. I'm no good at happy fluffy stuff. My stories are only good if I kill someone! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
